Act III Of Death of a Salesman
by meeph
Summary: What if there had been a third act to Arthur Miller's play "Death of a Salesman", Well I take a stab at, a blind stab mind you.


Act III

_Scene i_

_As the curtains open, a small silhouette appears against the dull glow of orange lights. Behind the small, fragile seeming shadow, huge rectangular shapes rise up into the eerie orange glow. It is early morning and the inescapable glow of New York City surrounds every aspect of the simple little house on the edge of the city's shadow._

_Slowly, the audience becomes more aware of a faint blue glow as it envelopes the small Loman home. A figure can be seen shuffling around the small kitchen, rearranging items into an incoherent pattern. As the blue light becomes more prominent, the audience can see that the stooped figure is that of Linda Loman._

_On the second level of the home, the audience can see a man begin to stir in the room that once belonged to both Biff and Happy, now only one bed remains..._

Linda: _muttering to herself_: Where did I put that bowl? Surely I cleaned it last night?

_There is a creak on the stairs and Linda looks up to find Happy standing at the foot of the steps. He is disheveled and tired looking._

Linda: Good morning Happy dear.

Happy: Morning Mom.

Linda:_ absent mindedly_: How'd you sleep? I heard you come in awfully late last night.

Happy: I had to go back to the office and drop off that last box of merchandise.

_Frustrated_: I wasn't able to sell it! _After a long pause_: How'd Dad do it Mom? How'd He manage all those years? I've been doin' the same thing for two years an' I'm barely bringin' enough in to support you an' me!

_With the mention of Willy, Linda sets down the bowl she had finally found. She doesn't turn to confront Happy._

Linda: Have you heard from Biff at all?

Happy: _angrily_: Why do you do that?

Linda: _innocently_: Do what?

Happy: You always change the subject when I talk about Dad! Why?

Linda: _Back still towards happy_: I don't know what you're talking about. All I wanted

To know was if you'd heard from Biff lately.

Happy: God Mom! _Surrendering to defeat_: No, I haven't heard from Biff. I haven't

talked to him much since Dad died.

_Once again with the mention of Willy, Linda tenses and her stooped frame becomes strained with grief._

Happy: We had that argument about what he should do with his life. I kept telling him he

should stay here with us, stay with you Mom… But he said he couldn't. _Happy slams his fist on the table and Linda jumps at the sound_: He says I was stupid to take Dad's old job. He said I'd go just the same way! Ha, what does he know? His only ambition in life has been to work on a stupid farm! Better to be well liked in the city than being stuck in a field all your life.

Linda: Surely you don't mean that?

Happy: Of course I do Mom! I stayed here, with you, so I could follow Dad's dreams.

Biff couldn't understand that. You know what? I don't care if ever talk to him again! Dad was right, he is a nobody.

_Linda remains quiet during Happy's tirade, moving around the kitchen and setting things out for breakfast. Finally she turns and breaks the silence._

Linda: I don't know the truth of what went on between you and Biff or between Biff and

… and your father, _she gives a small sob_: But Happy dear, he's coming home tomorrow._ The last sentence comes fast and jumbled in her excitement._

Happy: _Glowering_: Why? He said he'd never step foot in this house again! Why's he

comin' back now?

Linda: Because, Happy, Biff's finally been engaged, he's going to get married! I

received a telegram last week while you were in Boston. Him and his… wife to be, _she smiles_: they'll be here tomorrow. Isn't that wonderful?

Happy: _exhaustedly_: Yeah Mom, yeah that's great. _He gets up from the table and heads _

_toward the stairs. _I'm gonna go get ready for work.

Linda: But dear, aren't you going to eat something?

Happy: No, I'm not hungry.

Linda: But-

Happy: No! I'm not hungry.

_Happy turns and heads up the stairs leaving Linda alone in the tiny kitchen._

Linda: _whisperingly, to herself_: He used to be such a joyous young man.

_Scene ii_

_It is late evening and the Loman home is once again bathed in the eerie orange glow of the apartments in the backdrop. A light is on in the kitchen of the house and three figures are gathered around the table._

Linda: Biff, I'm so glad you made it in alright. The car you've got doesn't look so

trustworthy.

Biff: _Laughingly_: Ah, don't worry Mom, she gets us to where we need to be. But come

to think of it, she has been sputtering a lot lately.

Linda: You should have Happy take a look at it when he gets home tomorrow Biff. He's

pretty good with those cars.

Biff: Nah, shouldn't bother him with it. Besides Katherine's brother's a mechanic. I'll

have him take a look at it when we get back to Texas.

_ Biff indicates the woman in the chair next to him as he speaks. She is quiet and fidgets nervously with the ring on her left hand._

Linda:_ smiling_: So, Katherine, have you ever been to New York before?

Katherine: _Shyly_: No Mrs. Loman, this is my first vacation outside of Texas.

_As she speaks Happy enters from stage left, muttering under his breath. Upon reaching the three people gathered around the table he stops and stares._

Linda: _surprised_: Happy! Why you're home early tonight!

_He says nothing but continues to stare at Katherine. Biff gets up from the table and walks toward his brother._

Biff: Hey pal! How ya doin'? _He slaps Happy on the shoulder._

Happy: _distractedly_: I…I-I'm fine. Just fine. _Smiles_: Long time no see Biff.

Biff: Yeah no kidding! Hap this is my fiancé, her name is Katherine.

Happy:_ Shaking hands with Katherine_: Nice to meet you.

Katherine: _hesitantly_: Its nice to meet you too.

Happy: Where will you guys be sleeping?

Linda: Well, I thought they could stay in your room Happy. I'll sleep on the sofa and you

can sleep in my bed.

Happy: Oh no Mom, I'll sleep on the sofa. Besides, I don't think it would be very

accommodating for one your age.

Biff: That's settled then. I'm gonna take our stuff up stairs then.

Happy: Here let me help you Biff.

_The two women stay at the table while Happy and Biff carry the bags up stairs. Upon reaching their old bedroom, Happy stops Biff and indicates for him to sit down._

Happy: _angrily_: What're you doin' here? Why'd you come back?

Biff: _surprised_: I wanted everyone to meet Kate before we actually got married. I'da

thought you'd be happy for me Hap.

Happy: I'm happy for you Biff. I-I just thought that you'da remembered though.

Biff: _suspiciously_: Remember what?

_As Biff speaks a faint blue light begins to embrace the house._

Happy: Nothing…Sorry, I'm just, I've been so frustrated lately.

Biff: _pityingly_: I told you, ya shouldn't ev taken that job. You saw what it did to Dad.

Happy: _voice rising_: What d'ya mean, 'what it did to Dad'?

Biff: It wore him out, drove him crazy Hap! He couldn't even tell reality from fantasy.

Now you're gonna let the same thing happen to yourself?

Happy: _yelling_: He wasn't crazy! Damnit Biff, he wasn't crazy! If anything, he was

frustrated with you! 'Biff this' and 'Biff that', then ya had to go and be a nobody. You broke his heart. And still, now, even now, you think you're better than me!

Biff: What're you talking about?

_The blue light has encompassed all of the stage now. It even over powers the orange glow of the apartment buildings in the background._

Happy: You know exactly what I'm talking about!

Biff: _angrily_: Ya know? I came back here hoping to make amends with you. But I can

see now that nothing here has changed.

_Biff storms out of the room and back down the stairs. Rushing past the surprised stares of Linda and Katherine, he walks heatedly offstage. In the background the audience can hear the roar of a car engine and squealing tires._

_Katherine who gives one look at Linda makes her way up the stairs and to the bed room in which Happy still sat._

Katherine: What happened?

Happy: _Surprised to see her_: We had a fight. _He looks up at her_: Why are you here?

Don't you know that no one really cares whether or not Biff is going to marry you?

Katherine: Wha- wha- how dare you! You've got no right to say that!

Happy: Ha ha ha ha! I've got all the right in the world. _He gets up and shuts the door._

I told Biff a couple of years ago that I could have any woman I wanted. _He smiles_:

Any woman.

_By now, Happy has advanced on Katherine, backing her against the bed. He is blocking the door and there is no way for her to get around him. All the blue light has focused on the one bed room. The audience is hardly aware of the shadowy figure still shuffling around in the kitchen._

_Happy grabs Katherine's shoulder and slowly lowers her to the bed. As he does so the blue light slowly fades. When the two figures touch the sheets all the light on stage is gone._

_Epilogue_

_The slow increasing whine of a car engine off stage, becomes evident. The sound comes to a stop and a blue spotlight appears on the very left of the stage. It follows Biff as he re-enters the stage from the left and makes his way into the house and towards the kitchen. Besides the blue spotlight the only other source of light is an ethereal orange glow emanating from behind the house._

_As Biff reaches the stairs the orange glow becomes more prominent, the house is now more easily seen. Linda is lying asleep on the sofa in the room adjacent to the kitchen. In the bedroom upstairs there is a figure huddled on the bed, knees drawn up, rocking back and forth. _

_Biff reaches the room which is illuminated by the blue light. Sitting on the bed faint with fear, is Katherine. Hanging from the ceiling rafters, a thin rope taught around his neck is Happy. Slowly the rope sways to and fro, the shadow of Happy Loman playing across the stricken face of his older brother._


End file.
